Since The Rookie has an extremely dedicated fan following, there are a lot of people who are looking forward to seeing what will happen when the ABC show returns. After all, it will be fascinating to see how Chenford's relationship will proceed, how Lucy Chen's promotion will affect the show, and the continuing adventures of the rest of The Rookie's main characters.
Of course, whenever a show like The Rookie is set to return, viewers will also likely have high hopes about what will happen next. One obvious example of that is the fact that fans often hope that popular characters from the past will return. With that in mind, it is exciting to see that the trailer for The Rookie season 8 confirmed that one of the stars of the show's canceled spin-off will appear during upcoming episodes.
The Rookie: Feds star Felix Solis will return to The Rookie during season 8
On October 28, 2025, the first teaser for The Rookie season 8 that featured footage from upcoming episodes was released online. The only problem was that the trailer lasted a mere 16 seconds. With that in mind, it may seem like the trailer likely wasn't very revealing about what the show's passionate fans can expect to see during the upcoming season. In reality, the trailer featured enough cuts to different characters to be more revealing than it may have seemed like it could be.
Before the trailer ended with a laugh line from Tim Bradford, there was a blink and you miss it moment that showed Felix Solis onscreen at roughly the six-second mark. That revealed that Solis' character, Matthew "Matt" Garza, will be part of The Rookie season 8. While that revelation may not be too surprising given that character's involvement in the show's season 7 finale, it is exciting for a simple reason.
They've seen it all... almost. 🌍 #TheRookie goes international on a new season, premiering January 6 on ABC! Stream on Hulu. pic.twitter.com/QhVzn6QHuL
— The Rookie (@therookie) October 28, 2025
When The Rookie got its first spin-off series, which was titled The Rookie: Feds, Solis was a major part of the show's starring cast. In fact, Solis' character was the show's main authority figure, similar to the role that The Rookie's Lieutenant Wade Grey plays on that show.
Given that The Rookie: Feds was canceled after only one season, it was very unlikely that Solis' character would ever appear on television again. Despite that, The Rookie's producers were wise enough to give Solis' character a recurring role on the franchise's original show. Given how compelling the character Solis portrays is, it is worth it for fans to celebrate that he will continue in that recurring role during The Rookie season 8.